What Christmas Means to Me

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When I was younger, Christmas was solely a time for presents, family gatherings, and a lot of patience. Those who say the holiday season is of joy and peace completely miss out the principle of patience. My brother and I would hang out by the Christmas tree staring at the presents (or trying to look through the sides of the wrapping paper) and listening to Christmas music. But with all of those yearly traditions, I never fully realized what Christmas meant to me.

Everyone says that as you get older, Christmas is quite different. There’s not as much joy or excitement. I guess it might be because of all the responsibilities and things we realize when we grow up. There’s more stress (obviously because of homework, the grand disturber of the human soul), we don’t really play with toys anymore or believe in Santa Claus. So sometimes we just believe that Christmas is a children’s holiday. We know its about Jesus’ birth, but we treat the story just like another page in history.

But that’s where we are wrong. Christmas is a reminder of what we should be doing throughout the year. The Christmas spirit isn’t just some “be-a-good-kid” motivation that parents use. The Christmas spirit is much, much more than that. It is what Christ did for us. Christmas is an arrow drawn toward his death, burial, and resurrection. It’s the beginning of a new story for all of us. Christ came to give us the gift of salvation, something we never deserved or even wanted. But we needed it; He knew that. We give gifts to each other because Christ gave us the most precious gift of all.

If you haven’t received His gift of salvation, read the Bible. Start from one of the gospels and read until the end of the book. He wants you to receive this gift. And it only takes an act of faith in what He has done for us. It is truly an unmerited blessing that won’t be extended to you forever. Today is the day that God wants you to receive His salvation.

And if you have already received the gift, remember this. It is love and gratefulness for the acts of God that should permeate our hearts all year round. A mindset like this won’t just transform the holiday season, but it will transform our lives. If we all committed to remembering Christ’s gift for us to each other like we do during the holiday season, wouldn’t the world be so different?

Christmas is different for me this year. I’m not able to keep many of the traditions I’ve always had. I also experienced a little of the dimming of my joy and excitement. But tradition isn’t what Christmas is about. Our joy rests in Christ’s gift to the world, and the miracle of Christmas. It took change to teach me that, but I think Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year when you can look past the presents to the manger scene. As we get older, Christmas should be even more exciting because we realize even more what this season is about.

So, if you aren’t so excited this Christmas or if there are changes that cause more stress than peace, remember what Christmas is truly about. That’s what Christmas means to me, and that’s why I have joy this Christmas season. Because no matter what else life throws at us, Emmanuel is always with us. Get excited about the story of Christmas! Believe in Christ, and live every day with the spirit of Christmas. It's a Christmas to believe in.

Merry Christmas from Histories and Mysteries Blog!!!
 
 

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